Make A Man Out Of You
by LostGirl112
Summary: This story is my prediction of the Season 6 relationship arc between Emma and Killian. This story is containing spoilers of information given in Season 6 already and from hints/spoilers/script teases from the cast. Captain Swan
1. Chapter 1

Half of the bed was reserved by a worried blonde curled up beneath the thick comforter. She tried to fasten her eyes shut and concentrate on the sound of leaves rustling and swaying as the breezes came by, but it was no use. Since her boyfriend had moved in, she had gotten used to sleeping with the window open, no matter how cool the night. He had insisted that he could hear the ocean from their home and had to fall asleep to the sound of water. Pulling the comforter closer to her neck as the breeze flew into the bedroom, the blonde opened her eyes to find the other half of the bed empty and untouched.

A mix of moonlight and outside lamppost light shined through the window landing on the empty pillow beside her. Grabbing for the ring that lay under her nightshirt on a chain, the blonde let her fingers trace the sides feelings the engravings and embellishments. She thought back to earlier in the day, when the house was filled with family and friends. Grabbing the ring harder, the blonde could feel her heart sink at the days turn of events.

/

"Emma!" Snow had slapped the top of her daughter's hand as Emma had begun to finish icing some of the cooling cupcakes. "We are throwing you this party! You shouldn't have to lift a finger. Go! Out of your kitchen. We're okay in here." Emma threw a look side look to her father, who returned a large smile as he swayed back and forth, patting the back of the baby boy over his shoulder. Emma watched her mom continue to swirl blue frosting in a circular motion on top of the vanilla cupcakes. "I didn't ask you guys to throw this party… just saying."

David had made his way across the kitchen, still bobbing his body awkwardly. "I know, but we really wanted to. And what perfect timing than now?! Things are getting back to normal, you and Hook are officially settled into the house, the town is 5 days disaster free; a new record by the way. You and the rest of this town deserve this home welcoming party." A small burp and gurgle came from the baby boy and David finally sighed in relief. Emma turned to look out her window at the calm streets. "You are aware you just jinxed the town by saying that?" By the time Emma looked back at her parents, David's cell phone rang out a high-pitched ringtone. "Told you." Emma took Neal out of her father's hands, trying to listen in on the conversation.

David looking more concerned than anticipated was enough for Snow to stop the icing. "David, what is it?" David gave a fake smile to Emma and placed his phone into his chest. "It's nothing, I promise. This town has two sheriffs… go enjoy the party." Snow practically shoved Emma out of the kitchen and into the living area.

The living room was more crowded than Emma remembered. She was strategic in maneuvering around the room with a baby on her hip. Stopping at the round table to find Henry and Regina reading over the latest stories of the new comers, Belle looking out of the telescope with a smile, and Killian swirling his bottle of beer; "I've officially been exiled from my own kitchen." Emma's presence grabbed everyone's attention, including Dr. Hopper and Leroy from behind her. It was no surprise that the attention was not on Emma but on the baby falling asleep in her arms. Emma had picked up on everyone's doe eyes and the immediate change of high pitched voices with baby talk.

Killian grabbed the napkin beneath his glass and stood to wipe the drool from the corner of Baby Neal's mouth. Belle lightly held her stomach and smiled, "Well, now that's a perfect picture." Emma took her attention away from the Neal and found the group's attention now on the image of Hook and herself holding a baby between them. Emma looked at Dr. Hopper with scared eyes, hoping he would step in and change the topic, but alas he was stuck in the same trance as the rest. Before taking a sip of his punch, Leroy chimed in "You guys seem like naturals with the kid." Emma looked back to the kitchen frantically for an escape, but found David rushing out her house in a hurry. Emma knew something was definitely wrong in town.

Regina stared at the small swollen belly on Belle, "This town's turning into a baby factory. You might as well join them." Henry closed his book, giving a grand smile to his mom. "I wouldn't mind having a little baby brother or sister!" Emma could feel her insides twisting and knotting up. Her heart pounding heavy; almost about to explode from her chest.

Belle got closer to the couple. "Can you imagine a baby with his eyes and her smile…" Emma couldn't even look at Hook. Leroy look up in contemplation, "It would be born with two hands right?" Regina's head jerked to Leroy with eyes that did not need words to explain what she was thinking. "Of course, it would be born with two hands. The baby-"

"No! No baby! No blue eyes, no hook hand, no smiles… No!"

Everyone froze in place staring wide-eyed at Emma. She could feel her body shaking and her heart regaining its normal rhythm. Looking to Hopper, Emma knew what she said was not being played out well. Hopper slowly shook his head back and forth in deep concern. Everyone's eyes were now transfixed on Hook. Emma refused to look to her side, to see his reaction. Surveying everyone's eyes, he was not taking it well.

"Belle, can you take Neal?" Emma was holding out the baby before she even spoke, allowing Belle to cradle the sleeping baby in her arms. Backing away slowly, Emma excused herself away from the party. Quickstepping the stairs and closing her bedroom door behind her, Emma sat at the end of her bed taking in a deep breath; head between her legs.

Within minutes, Killian lightly closed the bedroom door behind him. Taking a spot next to his girlfriend, he reached into his leather jacket pocket for his flask. "Swan, what the hell was that?" Emma unscrewed the flask to take a large gulp and handed the flask back for her boyfriend to take a taste. "They were stressing me out. Talking about us like we weren't just standing there."

Killian gave a small laugh as he drank from his flask. "We just moved in together. I don't plan on popping out little pirates with light magic anytime soon." Emma continued to stare at the floor solemnly well aware that she cannot not have kids, or even a future. But he didn't know that. "Wait, would our kids actually have magic powers?"

Emma looked to Killian as he thought deeply about what could be. "Killian…" Before she could finish, Hook continued. "Or at least one of them would, right? Would one of them be the next savior? I hope not- I mean, not that being the savior is bad, I just know what you deal with… to think of my kid-"

"We're not having kids."

"Emma, I know that, well right now isn't-"

"No. Not right now, not a year from now, not ever."

Emma could feel her own tear drops streaming down her cheeks and onto her hands. The burning sensation in her left arm, the sensation she dreaded and wished to stop, began to move down her arm like electrical volts into her left hand. She could feel her left hand fill with pressure and escalate from a twitch to a full spasm. With a flash, Emma was surrounded by smoke, standing in front of a black cloaked figure. The feeling of steel slicing through the middle of her body caused Emma to grab at her chest to find nothing.

Killian grabbed Emma's left hand and held it until the spasm subsided. Her tear-filled eyes met his blue concerned eyes. They said nothing. His eyes began to scan her from head to toe, not understanding what he just witnessed. As Killian felt a fight about to erupt from Emma being stubborn on their future, he watched pain and fear wash over his girlfriend within seconds. Emma continued to feel her chest with her free hand feeling for a piece of sword. Killian entwined his fingers in hers and an instant calmness surged through her body. Leaving her chest, her right hand moved to Killian's face and traced the stubble along his jawline.

"Swan, what is happening?" She hated to keep something this detrimental from him. After everything they experienced together, he had a right to know. Emma looked up at the picture that hung above their bed. She had replicated the storybook page of Hook and herself dancing together in her red dress. The photo was complimented with a thick black frame. All she wanted was to feel the same as she once did in that photo; hopeful of her future.

"I'm ready to tell you everything."

\\\

Emma sat up in bed at the sound of her bedroom door closing. The moon's stream of light was interrupted by a tall, dark figure. She watched Killian take off his jacket and kick his boots off. As he kept his back to her, Emma didn't know how this conversation was going to end. After telling Killian about her visions, what Hyde had told her, her visits with the cricket, and her hesitation with moving in from before, Emma realized she placed a lot information that he didn't want to hear on him.

Through explaining her internal dilemma, Emma watched as Hook paced back and forth in front of her without saying a word. At times he looked distraught, other times angry and confused. Killian did not say a single word through their time together above the party. Before Hook could absorb the information and give his input, David had rushed into their bedroom to alert Emma that Hyde had somehow escaped from his facility. After searching the forest and town for Hyde, Emma had come home to an empty house and no sign of Hook.

Emma turned the light on and watched Killian pace slower than before at the end of their bed. "Killian, I-" He threw one hand up in the air to stop her. "I think it's my turn to talk."

"When I died, when I was in the underworld, I couldn't help but feel like I belonged there. I deserved the punishments. Not only for what I did when I was dark, but for the things I did long before I met you. Some of those things, I still have yet to forgive myself. I gave-up down there. I didn't care for fighting Hades or even fighting for the future. But you didn't stop fighting. You fought for me. Swan, you didn't give up on me when I already had given up myself. So I am going to do the same; I am not going to give up on you- give up on us."

Killian moved to sit at the end of the bed, beside Emma's feet. "So you're not mad at me for not telling you?"

"Oh no, I was mad. Livid actually. But then I thought, if this was me. If I knew what you knew, would I have told you? And as much as I would like to think I would have told you, I know I would choose to protect you instead. So, as frustrating as this is, I understand why you hid it. Emma, I know that we can fight this together."

Emma moved closer to her boyfriend, placing her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for seeing it that way. But I told you what Hyde said. This is my fate. My hand- if I can't control my magic-"

Killian stands abruptly and shaking his head. "Swan, who says you need your magic?"

"Well, I am the savior. It's where all my power comes from. In the fight, I know it's what can save me, but it ends up failing me." Emma couldn't help but look at her left hand with resentment wondering whether she should match her boyfriend with a metal hook instead.

"In your vision, you said you were in a sword fight. You try to use your magic but your hand acts out, distracting you. Emma, don't you see? You don't need your magic!"

"I'm still confused." Killian falls to his knees in front of Emma to meet her eyes. Emma watched the blue eyes blaze in passion and inspiration.

"Have you told anyone else about this? Other than me?"

"Well, after seeing your reaction, it kind of made me regret telling you… so no, you're the only one that knows." Killian grabbed Emma's hands excitedly and couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Good. We are going to keep it that way. Emma, you're magic, for the first time, is your biggest weakness right now. I am going to help you. I am going to train you to fight."

Emma laughed, disbelieving a few practice sword plays was going to help her defeat her fate of death. "I already know how to fight, Hook. And from what I remember, I kicked your ass over a compass."

"In my defense, I was quite distracted from my opponent. Wasn't a fair fight. And I'm not saying you don't know how to fight; you do. But how you fight is how you taught yourself to survive these past years. Swan, you have relied on your magic for so long that you forgot the basics. Avenging Milah's death wasn't just living off of anger and rage. Knowing I was going to fight the dark one, I sought the training that made me become-"

Killian cut himself off. Hook forgot about the levels of hell he had gone through the become a man he was no longer proud of. Emma's hand cupped the side of Killian's face to bring him back to reality. As his eyes met hers again, Killian continued his train of thought.

"I know that we can do this together. We can train and I can teach you how to defend yourself without your magic. We can learn to control your hand. Emma, we can save you. But this isn't something I can just teach you and it will work out. You are going to need to really want this."

His eyes carried tears that had yet to fall. Being with Hook this long and knowing him better than he knew himself, his eyes became easier to read. Blue eyes that captured pain, love, and most importantly, hope.

"Emma, do you trust me?"

For the first time in weeks, Emma had felt the feeling she had missed. The feeling she experienced dancing back in time with Hook in King Midas's castle- hope for the future. Emma leaned her head forward until her forehead pressed against Killian's.

"I do."


	2. Chapter 2

The hike was the hardest obstacle so far in his journey. Stopping at a rock that lay partially out of the land, the pirate threw his satchel down to the thick grass and grabbed a sip of water from his canteen. He had always seen the world through the waves of an ocean, but being as high as he was in the mountains, the pirate was taken back by the beauty of the lush rolling hills. He stared at the thin line of clouds that hovered below him. Being this high up above the clouds allowed him to see how spacious and beautiful the world really was. The only person he wished to share this moment with was his Milah.

Shuffling through his satchel, the pirate opened a piece of parchment that had seen better days. The corners were torn, burned, and decaying. The most important part of the parchment was still intact. A map of the island the pirate journeyed on gave a detailed path to his destination. Looking over his shoulder, he knew one more mile would lead him to a stream in which the water flowed up the mountain, rather than down. Reading over the map, the pirate's finger followed the stream's path to a small house. "Only two more miles."

The remaining two-mile hike went by faster than he thought they initially would. The sight of the 5 story-high trees, the sound of the flying tropical birds, and the smell of exotic, unknown flowers growing on the perimeter of the stream preoccupied the pirate's lone journey. Finally, through a clearing of bushes as tall as himself with leaves thicker than his own body, a small house sat in the middle of a forest. The pirate had to stop and take in the scenery of the odd placed house. One might expect denser forest pass the untamed bushes, but the pirate found a large plot of land surrounded by trees. The sun's light shined down on the house as if the God's were showcasing the home. To the pirate's right, he found a rabbit quickly hopping away from a sustainable garden of different vegetables, fruits, and herbs. To the pirate's left, he found the stream continuing to flow in direction to the house.

Following the stream alongside the house to the backyard, the pirate found more spacious land confined by a wooden fence, which lead to a backyard barn. The barn door was opened ajar with the sound of a deep moo from inside; echoing through the yard. Approaching the door, the pirate found a man sitting atop a stool, milking from his cow's utters. Looking around the barn for other residents of the home, the pirate stood behind the milking man awkwardly; not knowing how to introduce himself without startling the man.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to introduce yourself?"

The man continued to milk his cow without a pause as the pirate looked closer to see if the man truly had eyes behind his head. "Are you Shang? Li Shang?"

"I am."

The pirate cleared his throat as he made his way closer to the cow. "They call me Hook. I was told you can help me."

"What is it you seek?"

Hook moved to the side of Shang to get a better look at him, but it was no use as Shang's long black hair hugged the side of his face. "There is a man who took something from me. Something dear to my heart. There are legends of you and what you have done before. I didn't think you existed until-"

Shang had gathered the bucket and stood to face Hook causing the pirate to freeze. The man had a strong square face with a noticeable scar that made Hook look away quickly in respect. The scar was deep as it traveled from the top of his forehead, through the middle of his right eyebrow, and into his right, red eye. "I cannot help you."

Shang walked away from the pirate and continued to walk back to his home with a fresh bucket of milk spilling droplets over the brim with every step. "What do you mean you can't help me? You are going to help! I didn't just climb this bloody mountain for 3 days to get a no."

"I don't help those who seek revenge."

The pirate reached his left arm out, grabbing Shang's arm with his hook. Turning the man around, Hook didn't hesitate this time to stare at the scarred faced man; only inches apart. "You are going to help me. Unless you fancy a matching a scar. And I will not stop at the eye."

Shang stared down at the pirate's metal hook hand and reset his gaze back to the pirate. "I do not train those who seek revenge. And by the looks of it, you are far from ready. You have no purpose." Taking back his arm, Shang looked back down at what used to be a left hand. "Nice hook. Did this man take that away from you too?"

"Aye." The pirate began to hide his hook behind his back as he grew insecure over the attention. It was easy to flaunt the sharp metal piece when many people feared it, but as Shang found interest, the pirate found the hook to lose its appeal.

"That is your weakness." Taking a step away from Shang, Hook began to shake his head in denial.

"No. This hook has helped me. They didn't name me for the piece but for the fear that comes with it. Everyone knows not to cross me. Sure, things are not as before, but this hook has made me a better man; a better pirate."

"You may see it that way. But all I see a scared, one-handed pirate that hides behind a name. A name he hopes will inflict the pain for him as he has lost the confidence to even pick up his own sword."

Hook stood silent losing eye contact with Shang. The pirate's sword was harnessed at his side, but it had not been touched in weeks. Losing his left hand was losing a majority of is daily functions, but in losing his right to yield his own sword was losing a large part of himself. The pirate was speechless in that moment. Someone was admitting the thoughts he had been suppressing for so long.

Shang continued to stare down the ashamed pirate and placed his free hand over the pirate's heart. "That is your purpose." Hook looked down at his replaced left hand shinning in the sunlight from above. He had never resented the hook more than in this moment. Looking up to find Shang already steps from his home, Hook didn't know if he should follow or leave.

Before slamming the back door, Shang looked back at the pirate standing alone within the vast yard. "We start training in the morning."

/

Hook sat comfortably on a log within the secluded beach staring down at his left arm. The grey skies of Maine did not give his hook the natural glimmer or sparkle it once had in the open ocean, but the pirate could still see a perfect reflection. From the angle of his arm, his hook reflected a blonde woman running toward him in a red leather jacket.

"Hi! I'm sorry I'm late. Had to get away from my dad and think of an excuse. So now my dad thinks I'm seeing Hopper like three times a day. But I'm here now." Walking up behind a seated Killian, Emma leaned over to give him a quick kiss upside down. The pirate smiled at the familiar taste of hot chocolate and cinnamon on his lips.

Emma raised her fists playfully circling them close to her mouth with a flirtatious grin on her face. "I'm ready to start training." Killian placed his hands over her fists and lowered them to her side. "We won't be needing those today. Today, we are going to find your purpose."

"I think the whole not wanting to die thing is my purpose."

"Not wanting to die is only a reason, but not your true purpose. Now take off your shoes."

Emma looks over her shoulder to see if anyone is watching her on the beach out of embarrassment. "What if someone comes down here."

Killian looks around the beach to find no one, not even a seagull. "Trust me, only we know of this place and it will stay that way." Emma takes in a deep breath before giving the beach one more look, in case someone had popped up within the two seconds she had checked before. Kneeling down to the unzip her boots, the burning sensation she fears every day begins to travel down her arm into her hand. Closing her eyes tightly, Emma tries to grab her boot to stop the tremor, but it fails her.

With her right hand grasping her left wrist, Killian kneels beside Emma until her hand becomes still once more. "Is that the first time that has happened today?" Emma continues to take her boots off, along with her socks, avoiding Killian's gaze.

"Not exactly. It may have happened when you were in the shower this morning. And maybe again on the way here." As Emma begins to massage her left hand, as if it were to help heal the shakes, Killian places his right hand in her left to guide her to stand on her feet. Placing her palm to face upward, Killian's fingers traces over her open palm.

"Your hand is your biggest weakness. I see it change you. I see the look on your face when it acts up. Your scared of it. Your scared of what your hand reveals. You're losing your will to fight. You're losing the confidence that makes you so strong." Emma takes her hand back to look at it on its own, midair.

"Wouldn't you? Knowing and seeing how you're going to die; wouldn't you give up on the fight?"

"Aye. I would. But we're going to change to that today. I need you to close your eyes." Killian watches as Emma reluctantly closes her eyes. With both eyelids lightly shut, Emma sneaks her right eye open to see what Killian is doing.

"Swan, shut the eyes." Emma quickly closes the right eye with a small laugh. "Sorry." Killian leans forward and moves Emma's hands to her side. Walking around his girlfriend, the pirate straightens her posture and lightly presses her shoulders back for her chest to be more open.

"Take a deep breath in through your nose and hold it." A calming breeze from the ocean falls through the couple. "And exhale through your mouth." Killian watches as Emma lightly parts her lips to let a large breath out. "Continue your breathing as this, until I tell you to open your eyes."

After four sets of breathing, Emma continues to stand barefoot in the sand with her eyes closed. "I want you to concentrate on your feet. Feel the sand against your skin. Think of how the texture feels, how damp the sand is. Feel it forming to the arches in your feet." Killian looked down and watched Emma scrunch her toes deeper into the wet, compact sand.

Allowing her to continue four more deep breaths, Killian broke the silence once more. "I now want you to concentrate on the sound of the water. Listen to each wave." Emma's body lightly swayed with the sound of the ocean as her feet dug deeper into the sand. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this calm and light. Every deep breath she took in and out made her skin hum. As she continued to feel more connected to her surroundings through every breath, it felt like hours had passed by the time Killian spoke out.

"How are you feeling, love?" Emma slowly nodded her head with the swaying motion of her body. "I feel good."

"Continue your breathing. I'm going to have you go a place in your mind. Somewhere only you can see. No one else, not even me, will know this place exists. I want you think of something that you never imagined you could have. Something you've always wanted. You could be seeing a great future for Henry, a moment you've always wanted with your parents, or even watching your baby brother grow up well. Now, when you get to this place, I want you to be present. Allow what you have always wished for to happen. Feel the moment."

Killian stepped back and watched as Emma swayed with the motion of breezes passing by. Ten minutes had passed and the pirate preoccupied his time looking toward the horizon. He felt as if watching Emma find her place was an invasion of privacy; even though her eyes were closed. Looking back to the blonde in the red leather jacket, Killian found a small smile cross her lips and she took in another breath.

"You're there, aren't you. You found your place." Emma answered with a slow, hypnotizing nod. "Good. I need to harness that image. Burn it into your brain. This will be the image you look to when you feel your hand beginning the shake. When you decide that this training is not what you anticipated for yourself, when you begin to lose hope on your future, this is the image I want you to see."

Killian lifted his right hand and placed it over Emma's heart. "Swan, that image is your purpose. Open your eyes." Emma's eyes lightly fluttered open to meet Killian's. She looked dazed as her eyes readjusted to the daytime. Even though thick grey clouds still hung high in the sky, the beach was brighter than she remembered.

"How do you feel?" Killian had now moved his right hand to Emma's face, smoothing his thumb along her cheek. "Whoa. You really know what you're doing, don't you?"

"Are you that surprised, Swan?" Emma stared back at Killian in amazement. With everything happening in town, her visions, and the secrets she had been keeping from her family; Emma didn't know it was possible to feel the way she just did. To feel so light and carefree. She almost forgot she where she was.

Killian took a great step backwards and continued to give Emma a large smile. Watching her come back to their world after finding her purpose made Killian feel so much more confident in the training they had yet to experience.

"Let us begin the training."


	3. Chapter 3

A strong wind passed through the secluded beach causing two, half-empty, cups of hot chocolate and coffee to spill over into the sand. The spilt coffee continued to flow along the damp grains of sand until the liquid was absorbed into a blue towel. Atop the blue towel stood a girl watching the man next to her perform a slow moving motion with his hands. As she tried to copy the motions of his arms lifting and pushing against the wind, the girl couldn't help but stare at the man's left arm. Where a hand would typically be, there was nothing. The arm cut off at the wrist and the skin joined under a white bandage.

Although she knew this man did not have a left hand, it was odd to see him so comfortable being without the metal hook that typically accompanied his left arm. He had always been somewhat protected and guarded when he was without his hook. Having a hook for a hand made him a more confident person, which one would not typically associate confidence with a sharp, intimidating piece. The only times she had really seen his skin out of the harness- that captured his hook or fake hand- was once in a hospital, and now more recently, the nights before bed. But to see the man next to her so comfortable in his own skin made the girl admire the man even more.

As she watched the left arm motion down to the man's side, she noticed the man was now balancing on his right leg, while his left leg bent upward to his chest. Trying to catch up, the girl ungracefully copied the move. Her right leg began to shake and tremble as her arms moved upward to reach for the sky.

"Killian, I feel ridiculous doing this." The girl dropped her arms down, giving up on the exercise. She felt as if she was running out of time in a day and yet this training was going by too slowly. From waking up to make sure Henry was off to school, going to work to deal with Hyde and the Evil Queen, discovering more lost stories every day, finding her dad lying to her about where he has been going on his lunch breaks, babysitting on short notice for her mom, keeping a large secret from her family, making all of her appointments with the cricket, and now trying to fit in training with Hook was creating more stress than she anticipated.

Giving up, the girl sat down on the beach towel and lay back to stare into the grey sky. "This whole wax on, wax off routine isn't working for me."

Killian put one hand to his hip not understanding the words coming out of his girlfriend's mouth. "Wax on? Swan, were not waxing anything. This is Tai Chi… I thought you knew that?"

"No, I do. It was a reference. I'm just saying that this is moving too slowly. We don't know when that vision is going to come true!"

" _If_ it's going to come true. Just because a lass with a bird showed you something, doesn't make it true. Have you thought that this could be something larger than we thought; trying to mess with you?"

Emma sat up to untie her hair tie, allowing her blonde wavy hair to fall at her shoulders. Running her fingers through the ends of her hair, Emma stared off into the horizon. "She knew and saw the exact same vision as me. I don't know how you can explain that. Hook, this could come true soon and what? I stop the fight to show Regina that I can imitate oceans waves with my arms? Scary."

Taking a deep breath, Killian walked a few steps away from the towels into the shallow ocean entry. He felt the cold water slowly move over the tops of his feet and up to his ankles, leaving a chilling but yet refreshing sensation linger before the waves disappeared back to the deeper parts of the ocean. "You still believe it's Regina?"

"It makes sense. She was the only one not there in my vision." Watching Killian slowly walk back and forth in front of her, Emma saw his brow furrow. "You disagree?"

"If it was the Evil Queen or Regina, I don't see a cloak suiting her. With what's happening with Hyde, it's possible. But we both know that the dark one loves a cloak more than you and your jacket." Emma threw her hands up in the air with a small, sarcastic laugh.

"Great! So not only could I be fighting off a psycho scientist, which by the way, we still have no idea how to defeat, I could also be fighting the most powerful being there is. That was very helpful. Thank you."

Hook drops his head down in defeat realizing that thinking out loud was a tad too insensitive in this time. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. This just proves my point; that we need to pick up the training. What we've been doing these past days is beginner stuff. Stuff that Henry would benefit from, not me. I would say I'm at intermediate level. What training starts there?"

Coming back to his towel, Hook couldn't help but laugh thinking of the person he saw in Emma. There was so much impatience and angst; he now knew the thoughts behind Shang when he was overlooking Hook's training. "Swan, it doesn't matter what you knew coming into this. We need to start from the beginning- the basics. What did you think training was going to be like?"

"I don't know. I guess I just assumed there would be this montage of me learning to fight with some motivational music in the background. I would start out a little rusty but then you would see me gradually getting better, and then by the time the song ended, I would be better than the teacher."

Killian couldn't help but smile at Emma as she elaborated deeper into her montage and what her top choices of motivational songs for the background would be. The amount of references she typically made in a day were enough to leave him blank. But he didn't mind listening to her explanations, even if he got lost.

"And how long do these montage songs typically last?"

"About three minutes, maybe four if the movie is really long."

"You expect me to train you in three minutes?"

Emma began to tie her hair back up shaking her head. "No. I mean it would make a lot of things easier. I just want to feel like I'm making progress."

Reaching his hand down to pick Emma up to her feet, the pirate knew the next move in training. Something that would help the speed of training be seen in better light. "Okay then. Swan, I think you're ready for the next lesson."

Those words excited and scared Emma at the same time. She had always trusted Killian, but to have no control or foresight in the training process gave more anxiety to Emma. Killian knew she was uneasy not knowing what the training would specifically include, so he had given her an overview. But the overview was still not as detailed as Emma would have hoped for. "The Tai Chi will continue. 15 minutes before every lesson begins."

Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes to this. The breathing exercises did help, but the motions and balancing seemed idiotic to her. The movement was too slow and the arm's motions made her feel like she was performing a weird interpretive dance number. She was hoping that the Tai Chi was a lesson to be left behind.

Guiding Emma more inland on the beach, Killian took a step back away from Emma and threw his arms out displaying his body. "Hit me, Swan."

Looking around the beach in disbelief, Emma took another step back herself. "Killian, I'm not going to hit you." Emma even held her hands behind her back, instinctively protecting Hook, even though he was the one asking to be hurt.

"No, you're not. You're going to try, but you won't touch me." Emma cocked an eyebrow at the self-righteous pirate in front of her. "I'm pretty sure I've been successful in the past."

"Those were flukes."

"Flukes? Really? Okay then." Emma raised her arms into a fighting stance. She concentrated on the smug grin on his face. Hook stood with arms open waiting for the first punch to be thrown. Emma swung her right arm, performed a left hook, and finished with an uppercut punch. Emma stood back confused as Hook still stood, untouched, with the same smug look on his face. Within the seconds of throwing punches, Hook had managed to bob and weave through all of her attempts. Almost as he had foreseen what she was going to do.

"Good power. You dropped your right shoulder, but we can work on that. Again."

Taking a deep breath and trying to harness more power behind her throws, Emma began to throw her punches again. This time was different. When Emma threw a right cross, Hook's right arm stopped hers mid-air. Quickly following-up with a left cross, Hook's body jolted back allowing his right arm to stop her mid-air again. She found Hook had closed in on her space and before she could finish with her last punch, Hook had taken his right hand and pressed hard into her chest. His power was hard enough to have Emma stumble a few steps back, almost tumbling to the ground.

Emma grabbed Killian's right hand to be raised back to her feet. "You alright, love?" Emma dusted the sand off her pants with a small grin. "This is the training I've been waiting for."

"Good! Because we're going to do that again. This time slower. And I'm going to show you how moving your 'arms like ocean waves' will help you survive."

/

Wiping the bead of sweat atop his forehead, Hook dug his hand back into the dirt. Grasping the narrow base of the plant's root, Hook pulled a large chunk of carrot out of the ground. Tossing the dirt ridden carrots into the hand-woven basket, he moved onto the next set of carrots. Roots from underground were deeply embedded into the plant, causing a harder pull. Automatically, the pirate used his left arm to dig deep into the ground to break the roots. "Bloody Hell."

Where a hook was typically attached, there was nothing. The end of this left arm was covered in white cloth bandages so that he would not have to stare at the formation of skin joined where a wrist should be. With a basket already filled with cabbage, tomatoes, string beans, and some carrots; the pirate called it quits.

This past week made Hook miserable and tired. This training was nothing as he anticipated. "Shang! Shang!" His voice was so strong and hoarse, the echo caused birds resting in the trees above to fly off alarmingly.

A man exited the small house that sat in the middle of a large yard, encased by trees. The strong built man walked toward the pirate with the same emotionless face he displayed every day. Being as high as they were in the mountains, the sun's rays made the men feel like they were only inches from the sun. Overcome by the heat, the man had remained shirtless throughout the week causing discomfort to the pirate. Not only did the man have tattoos displayed across his chest, he had many scars that were more uncomfortable to stare at compared to the one on his face.

Through the morning routines, Hook had still need assistance in following the ten main positions. Copying Shang allowed Hook to find the different sized burn marks along his chest, the deep knife wounds that healed like welts along his abdominals, and the several whip marks that displayed all over his back. Hook knew it was wrong to ask about the markings, especially the scar that cut down his forehead and into his right eye. The eye was becoming harder to avoid as Shang begun to wear his long black hair into a slicked back bun.

"Are you done in the garden?"

"Listen you-" Before the pirate could close the distance between himself and Shang, a group of chickens ran between the two men, creating more space. Taking in a deep, annoyed breath, the pirate dropped the basket to the ground.

"I didn't come up here to be your farm boy. I came here so you can train me."

"I am training you."

"Training me in shoveling cow shit? I think I'll pass." Shang continues to stares at the pirate passively. Looking down at the basket, Shang realizes a few vegetables have yet to be harvested.

"There should be more carrots than that. Where are the turnips?"

Grabbing his hair tightly with his right hand, the pirate screams out in frustration. The yell echoes in circles around the trees causing the chicken to run back in fear. "You're completely mental. Do you know that? First you have me spend an entire day breathing. Then you make me wake up at the crack of dawn to wave my arms around!"

Hook begins to move his arms dramatically trying to impersonate the mornings routines. "You have me spend the rest of the day doing your chores. Which I do not know how you survived on your own without me here." The pirate looks to his dancing left arm for a reminder of the piece that is missing. "Oh! And then you take my hook away from me! Don't you know not to steal from a pirate?"

"Maybe you should use your sword then."

Hook feels for his belt and finds nothing. "I would, but oh wait! You took that too!"

Shang clasps his hands together and presents hook with a meek smile. "I would happily give your items back to you. On one condition of course."

Hook rolls his eyes looking around the rest of the land. "Let me guess, cut your yard with just my fingers?"

Shang reaches his hand down and lift Hook's left arm. Peeling the bandages off, Shang continues to hold the arm up at eye level. As if his own arm were a flaming torch, Hook's head retreated back and away as if the heat of his arm was too much. Looking away into the woods to avoid the unattractive stump, Hook's frustration and anger with Shang diminished.

"Look at it. Look at your hand." Hook could see a blur of the deformed arm in the corner of his eye, but he refused to look. He bit down on his bottom lip as his lips began to tremble with too much emotion. His eyes began to sting as water pooled in the bottom eye lid. Taking back his arm, Hook took the bandage in Shang's left hand and wrapped up the end once more.

"Well, then. I trust that you can see to finishing the garden." Shang turned his back on the pirate and began to walk back toward his home.

"Is that it then? Is that your game? To make me feel like less of a man? To make me feel useless? Well, I'm sorry to inform you, but I've been this way long before you."

Hook found his words had stopped Shang's walk. He still did not turn to face the pirate, but stopped to listen more. Hook felt the pool of tears that sat at the bottom of eyes stream down his cheeks. In his head, he made himself believe it was just more beads of sweat.

"I came here to become a better man. I came here to learn. You- You giving me a purpose, telling me these routines are for my benefit. They're all a lie aren't they? The legends of you, they're not real. If they were- if I were to believe the man in those legends is standing in front me, then they can't be real. Because that man is making me feel like a joke. But I see it now. I see you, old man. You are just as sad and miserable as me and-"

The pirate stopped as Shang turned around. Shang's walk to the pirate had more strength and determination than Hook had seen before. It was so off-putting that the pirate took a step back to brace himself.

"Position Seven." Shang pointed to the ground in front of him. Hook stood still, confused as the response was not something that fit the conversation. "What?"

Shang stepped forward, grabbing Hook by the arms to pull him forward. "Position Seven." Shang grabbed at Hook's arms to place them in the proper position. The pirate realized Shang was having him perform the seventh position in their morning routine together. "I don't understand."

"Grasp the sparrow's tail." Shang's dominant and short voice startled Hook enough to place him in position; legs firmly on the ground at a spaced gait. Hook placed his arms in front of himself, the right hand slowly moving upward and the left arm slowly moving downward.

"Ward off." Following Shang's instruction, Hook continued the routine by moving his torso to the right, following his right arm in the air, as his left arm followed from below.

"Roll back." Hook slowly moved his torso to the left as his right forearm still stayed strong at eye level.

"Press." Moving his right arm in a downward, counterclockwise motion, his right hand met his left arm. Shifting his weight from his back leg to his front leg, Hook used both of his hand to press the air in front of him.

"Again." Hook rolled his eyes at dominating man in front of him. "This isn't helping me. All I see is you avoiding the topic at hand, mate."

"Again."

As Hook begins to separate his arms into their correct position, he moves his torso to the right. As his right arm follows, he finds Shang's left arm coming in at a slow-motion punch. Hook's arm stops the punch and he continues to move his body slowly to the left to find Shang's right arm coming in at another slow-motion punch. Slowly blocking the second arm attack, Hook finished the press formation, finding his hand pressing into the Shang's body.

"Faster this time."

Hook's eyes widen as he looks down at Shang's arms. Before he can give his input, Shang's arms throw their punches at a quicker speed allowing Hook to ward off, roll back, and press with more speed and force. With two more rows at two faster speeds, the pirate takes a step back.

Looking over to the part of the river where they perform their routines every morning, Hook begins to replay the main positions in his mind, but at faster speeds; and this time with an imaginary opponent. A sense of joy and exhilaration rushes through the pirate's veins causing him to laugh out loud.

"I see what you did there, mate. Now that's what I'm talking about! You know, you had me fool-"

Before the pirate could finish his sentence, Shang smacks Hook on the side of his head with an open right fist. Stumbling to the ground hard and attempting to rub the ringing out of his left ear, Hook looks up at the scar ridden man above him. "What the bloody hell was that for?"

Bending over to pick up the basket on the ground, Shang meets Hook's eye level. "Believe the legends."

Shang pushes the hand-woven basket of vegetables back into Hook's chest. "We need more carrots."


	4. Chapter 4

The changing color leaves flew up behind the girl with every step she took. Ahead of her, through the trees, a man in tattered old clothing continued to sprint away looking over his shoulder every so often. Zigzagging through trees and jumping over fallen tree logs, the girl kept thinking that the man should have escaped a different route. No one knew the woods as well as her; especially the woods that accompanied the town of Storybrooke. Looking to her right, the girl found her father running a few yards away from her at the same speed. With a quick exchange of looks, the father continued to chase the man from behind as the girl decided to take a different path.

If the man were to continue his run forward, the girl knew that cutting him off at the bottom of the hill was the best option. Turning left, the girl ran at full speed down the hill hoping to catch the culprit near the bridge. Running around the bend, the girl stopped and listened. Fast, heavy footsteps from up the hill began to approach her. With the sound of her father drawing his sword from his sheath, the girl positioned herself in front of the bridge. Within seconds, the man appeared down the hill, looking back up at his chaser. The girl pulled her gun out, waiting for the man to turn and notice her. "Stop or I'll shoot."

Without blinking, the man quickly threw his body- a body that was double the size of hers and her own father's- against the girl's arms to make her lose handle of the weapon. From the look of his clothing, she knew he was not a man of this world and most likely had an untold story waiting to be told. The fact that he was running from Gold's shop with a strange book in one arm definitely proved he had a story that he did not want people to learn. The man threw one solid punch toward the blonde, dropping the book beneath his arm. Ducking the massive arm, the blonde jabbed the man's ribcage with her right elbow. As the man bent over from the blow to his torso, he grabbed the girl from behind.

He tightly wound his arms around her body from behind, pressing hard against her chest. The girl took in one deep, sharp breath trying to pull on the man's arms. "EMMA!" Her father's yell was directly behind her, but she could not see him as the man's body towered over her and stretched wide beyond her vision. The man threw one arm back hitting the other sheriff as if he were swatting a fly. David's body flew backward causing him to drop his sword. Hearing the metal collide with a group of rocks made Emma realize she was on her own.

Lifting her left leg, Emma slammed her foot down with all her might on top of the man's foot to loosen his grip on her. As his arms released some pressure, Emma managed to twist her hips to the side. Shoving her hips into the man's stomach and grabbing hold of the man's shoulder from underneath his arm, Emma quickly twisted her torso, flipping the man over her body and onto the ground. Quickly turning him over and grabbing the handcuffs from her back pocket, she couldn't help hide the smile stretching across her lips. "Dad, are you okay?"

Placing his sword back into its holder, David continued to stare wide-eyed at his daughter. "Emma, that was… wow." David helped lift the man to his feet, checking to see if the handcuffs were fastened enough around the man's fat wrists. Emma coyly hid a strand of hair behind her ear thinking of how to explain herself.

"Well, you know, traveling different worlds, going against the people we've had in the past, you pick up on some stuff." Examining the book from the ground, Emma found an odd lock on the side that wouldn't take a normal key. A large bump on the cover began to move and to Emma's surprise, the bump opened to a single large eyeball staring back up at her.

As Emma and David began to walk the man up the hill to the sheriff's car, the man spoke out in his deep, rough voice. "I don't see why you're punishing me. You should be applauding me for stealing from the Dark One."

David pulled harder on the handcuffs as he pulled him closer. "Sorry to say that the Dark One lives in this world and this world has certain rules to go by. Stealing is stealing no matter how bad the man."

Emma stopped to feel for the phone vibrating in her pocket. "It's Hook. I'll just call him back after." David grabbed the book from Emma and shoved it under his arm.

"No, go ahead. You've earned it with this one."

"I can at least return the book to Gold. I know it's not one of your favorite places, or people for that matter."

"I can return it." Emma squinted her eyes to the fact her father was a little too eager to go back to Gold's shop. "Are you sure this doesn't have anything to do with your dad? Mom said you were done with that."

"And I am…Emma, go! I got this."

Trudging through the south end of the forest, Emma found Killian standing alone as a few red-orange colored leaves fell around him. "This is a different spot for training." Looking around the dense forest, a thin layer of fog was beginning to creep into the area the couple stood.

"Aye. I thought you would be more comfortable here for today's lesson."

Taking off her brown leather jacket, Emma released a twinge from stretching her chest out. Trying to take a deep breath, Emma found it harder than expected. "You alright, Swan?" Emma had begun to massage her chest as if her rubbing could loosen the tightness in her lungs.

"Yeah, we just had a run in with some guy stealing from Gold. I guess he had a tighter hold on me than I thought." Stepping forward to examine his girlfriend closer, Hook began searching her whole body for more damage.

"You got in a fight? Are you alright?"

"Killian, I'm fine. You should see the other guy." Emma eased Killian's worries with a comforting smile. "What did you do to him?"

Emma began to playfully punch her boyfriend. "Did a little bit of this and that. Threw him over my shoulder. No big deal."

"That's my girl. We'll go light today, I promise."

Reaching his hand into his right pocket, Killian pulled out a silk, black blindfold. "Kinky. Is this my reward or something?"

"Swan…" Killian shut his eyes tightly out of embarrassment as Emma gave a small giggle watching Killian turn a bright red. With over 300 years of life under his belt, the only person to make the pirate blush was Emma Swan. "… just put the damn thing on."

Emma turned around allowing Killian to place the blindfold over her face and tying it tightly in the back. "Losing one of your senses enhances the others. In a battle, it's crucial to know your surroundings, to know your opponents next move before they do. You need to trust and follow your instincts- without question."

Killian began to guide Emma to the center of the training area he had scouted the day before. There was enough space for Emma to safely navigate without tripping on any tree roots or stumps. Releasing his hand and hook from her hands, Killian stepped back and watched as Emma waved her arms a little in front of her body not knowing what to expect next.

"I'll tell you when I'm going touch you, love. I just want to listen and try to envision where you are."

Emma took in a deep breath and really opened her ears to the forest. The sound of a woodpecker banging its beak against the bark echoed through the woods, but she could not pin point the location. Two birds began to speak to one another in the trees behind her. Emma turned her body around to face the noise. As one bird continued its song, the other took flight overhead. She could see in her mind the bird's extended wings and movement of feathers as the bird flew against the air. Soon the forest's surroundings became clear in Emma's mind.

She knew the forest. Being this south of the town, they were close to the town's line. She began to clearly see the placement of the trees and the fog- that was beginning to creep closer to her- appear at her feet. Emma moved her head to the right as she heard two objects lightly hitting the branches as they fell to the forest's floor. She imagined squirrels high in the trees dropping acorns by accident. Soon Emma noticed the one thing that was missing- Hook.

As she turned around in the dark, he was nowhere to be seen in the forest's layout in her mind. Emma held her breath to listen harder to the forest around her. The sound of a twig snapping to her left caught her attention. Soon the sound of fallen leaves crunching under pressure appeared behind her. Falling the soft footsteps, the image of Hook appeared in her mind walking in slow circles around her. Emma lifted her right arm and pointed her finger to the area she believed Hook stood.

As Killian continued to walk slowly and quietly in circles around Emma, he watched as Emma's finger and body followed his movement. He paused; as did Emma's hand. He begun to walk in the opposite direction and Emma's finger still continued to follow his walk. "Good, Swan."

Emma felt the change in air shift in front of her as Killian approached closer. With her hand and finger stretched out, Emma felt the energy of a figure standing in front of her. Soon the smell of salt water and sweet rum consumed her nostrils. She imagined Killian standing at the tip of her finger, just an inch away from her touch; but she was wrong. A finger lightly lifted her chin and soft lips fit within hers; his lips tasting the same as his scent. She felt the hairs that lingered along Killian's jawline and upper lips brush against her soft skin. A strong chill swept down Emma's spine leaving small goosebumps to sit along her arms.

As Killian began to step away once more, Emma grabbed his hand to imagine the distance between the pair. Feeling his arm stretched out an arms-length to hold her hand allowed Emma to see the distance within her mind. "It's all about touch, Swan."

/

All he could see was darkness. He had a strong hunch on where he was within the land but the cow moving back and forth behind him continued to throw him off. At one point he banged his leg into the wooden fence that led to the barn, which told him that he was far south. He then proceeded to walk, what he thought was north, but ended up in the woods in the east. Pausing to the listen to the stream of fast moving water coming from the river, the pirate stepped on some creature that bit down on his foot, hard.

"Follow my voice." Shang's monotone, soft voice caused the pirate to look over his right shoulder. Walking slowly to the area he believed Shang stood, Hook outstretched his arms, waving them dramatically back and forth incase another animal crossed his path. "You're probably enjoying this. What should I do to Hook today? I think I'll take away his sight and let him walk around the yard for a bit! You're a piece of work, old man."

Shang sat comfortably on ground with his legs crossed watching the pirate slowly walk pass him. "This is quite comical." Although his voice did not portray any amusement, the man found the scene to be more than entertaining. Hearing Shang's voice again, Hook quickly turned around. "No, this is bloody stupid. I can't see a thing."

"When you are aware, you do not need your vision."

The pirate threw his head back. Shang saw pass the blindfold as Hook rolled his eyes. "Here we go with the riddles. How am I supposed to learn anything from these lessons when I don't understand anything that comes out of your mouth?"

Shang's unemotional face broke for the first time in a long time. He couldn't resist the wide smile on his face watching Hook talk to the cow, who stared back at the pirate while chewing on some grass. A low building _moo_ sounded from the cow, surprising Hook enough to have him jump a few steps back. Dropping his head in defeat, Hook threw his arms up. "Shang, where the hell are you?"

"Behind you."

Hook turned around and decided that the best option was to stand still. "Can you at least help a mate out." Shang closed his eyes as well to test his awareness of the land and of the blind pirate.

"You are facing the back of my home. To your right is the river and to your left is the forest entrance. Behind you is the barn. Can you see it?"

"Aye." Opening his eyes, Shang stood and met Hook a foot away. "You have 5 senses. Touch, taste, hearing, smell, and sight. When you take one away, the others become stronger."

"So what, you're going to take away my senses one by one?"

"No. I am making you use your senses when you think you have lost them. Just because you cannot see what is in front of you, doesn't mean you are not aware. Give me your right arm."

Hook reluctantly raises his arm, uneasy about what the lesson entails. Shang positions his own left hand around the bicep of Hook's right arm. "It's all about the touch. You feel my arm? What's my weak point?"

Hook twists his arm feeling for Shang's elbow. Finding the indention of skin and muscle, Hook presses his hand into the arm causing Shang to lose his grip. "Good. Now if I move to do this…" Shang moves his hand to grasp hold around Hook's neck. Hook, keeping his hand around Shang's wrist, senses the motion. Dodging to the left, Hook pulls Shang's arm pass himself in order to strike Shang's elbow from the back causing Shang to fall to his knees from the uncomfortable pressure.

"Good. You need to be sensitive to your opponent's unpredictable behavior." Hook feels a change in the energy to his right as Shang throws a left cross. In this moment, the pirate could clearly see Shang standing in front of him. He watched and felt the left arm coming toward himself with a great force. Instinctively, the pirate deflects Shang's arm with his own and turns his body into Shang's to feel for a weak spot. Finding Shang's chest open, Hook throws his elbow back causing his instructor to fall back.

"Your reflexes have improved. I'm impressed."

Hook stepped out of his fighting stance surprised to hear the words coming out of Shang's mouth. "You are?"

"Yes, your flow of techniques is impressive for your first day."

"Wait, I have to do this again? You can't just pass me and go onto the next lesson?"

Hook found himself standing in silence once more. "Shang?" Waiting for a response, the pirate moved his head around trying to listen to his surroundings. A sudden strong hit to his back throws Hook forward to the ground. Before he can turn to feel for the source of pain, Shang places his knee into the back of Hook's hamstring and forces Hook's left arm behind his back. "I told you to be aware of your opponent's unpredictable behavior."

Releasing Hook from his hold, Shang walked back to his spot from before and took a seat with his legs crossing over one another. "Stand up and walk to the barn."

Hook couldn't help but bang his head against the grass and dirt in frustration. "Bloody hell."


End file.
